Tractor
A tractor has a chassis (10) which supports an engine (4) towards the front thereof. A deflecting shield (8) is positioned to the rear of the engine to deflect sideways hot air which has passed over the engine, and a tank (15) for the storage of urea based fluid for injection into an exhaust system of the engine is located behind the engine to the rear of the deflecting shield. The chassis to the rear of the engine may have an open-topped section (11a) between the engine (4) and a transmission housing (12), the tank being at least partially housed within the open-topped section of the chassis to shield the tank from the hot air which has passed over the engine and from the heating effects of the sun.
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1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to tractors and in particular to storage arrangements on such tractors for fluids such as urea based fluids which are injected under pressure into the exhaust gases of the engines of such tractors to reduce toxic emissions.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a requirement to provide a compact and convenient storage arrangement which also assists in protecting the urea based fluid from excessive heat as such fluids should be maintained, if possible, below 60° C. otherwise they start to break down into their corrosive constituents which can damage components of the urea injection system. Particular problems can arise when the fluid is stored in close proximity to the tractor's engine which is a source of considerable heat.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThus in accordance with the present invention there is provided a tractor having a chassis which supports an engine towards the front thereof, a deflecting shield positioned to the rear of the engine to deflect sideways hot air which has passed over the engine, and a tank for the storage of urea based fluid for injection into an exhaust system of the engine, the tank being located behind the engine to the rear of the deflecting shield and wherein the chassis to the rear of the engine has an open-topped section between the engine and a transmission housing and the tank is at least partially housed within the open-topped section of the chassis.
The chassis to the rear of the engine may have an open-topped section between the engine and a transmission housing, the tank being at least partially housed within the open-topped section of the chassis.
The above arrangement is well shielded from the hot air which has passed over the engine and being at least partially within the chassis is also protected from the heating effects of the sun.
The tank is preferably of a moulded plastic construction and has an upper section which includes a filler neck which is located outside the chassis for easy access.
The tank may also be moulded around other components which extend within the open-topped section of the chassis.
The upper section of the tank may include an outlet for the stored fluid and may support a level sensing arrangement for the fluid.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
A tractor in accordance with the present invention has a chassis 10 (see
The tractor engine 4 is mounted on the front portion 11 of the chassis which is basically U-shaped in cross section leaving, to the rear of the engine, an opened topped section 11a of the chassis in which, in accordance with the present invention, a storage tank 15 for storing a urea based fluid for injecting into the engine exhaust gases is located. The engine is covered by an engine bonnet 2a and the heat shield 8 protects the front portion 7a of the cab from the hot air which has passed over the engine and other hot components such as the turbocharger 5 and the exhaust ducting 6.
As can been seen from
As can be seen most clearly in
As will be appreciated, by housing the storage tank within the opened topped section 11a of the chassis to the rear of the engine the tank is well shielded from hot air which has passed over the engine by shield 8 and, being at least partially within the chassis, is also protected from the heating effects of the sun. Thus the urea based fluid stored in the tank 15 is able to be maintained below the 60° C. preferred level either without requiring cooling or with a significantly reduced cooling requirement.
As will be appreciated, the precise shape of the storage tank 15 depends on the other components which may pass through or be housed within the open top section 11a of the chassis. Since the tank is preferably formed from plastics material using a moulding process its shape can be carefully tailored to provide the maximum storage volume within the free space in the section 11a of the chassis. The tank may be partially within the chassis as described above or may be entirely within the chassis if the layout of the tractor permits this.
Claims
1. A tractor having a chassis which supports an engine and a cooling fan towards the front thereof, a deflecting shield positioned to the rear of the engine configured to deflect sideways hot air blown by the fan over the engine, and a urea based fluid storage tank which injects a urea fluid into an exhaust system of the engine, the tank being located behind the engine to the rear of the deflecting shield and wherein the chassis to the rear of the engine has an open-topped section between the engine and a transmission housing and the tank is at least partially housed within the open-topped section of the chassis.
2. A tractor according to claim 1 in which the tank is of a moulded plastic construction and has an upper section which includes a filler neck which is located outside the chassis for easy access.
3. A tractor according to claim 1 in which the tank is moulded around other components which extend within the open-topped section of the chassis.
4. A tractor according to claim 2 in which the upper section of the tank includes an outlet for the stored fluid and supports a level sensing arrangement for the fluid.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jul 22, 2010
Date of Patent: Sep 16, 2014
Patent Publication Number: 20120217082
Assignee: AGCO Corporation (Duluth, GA)
Inventors: Andreas Kleinhenz (Rosshaupten), Gerhard Mariner (Bidingen), Guido Nagele (Marktoberdorf), Klaus-Jurgen Satzger (Baisweil), Hans Heinle (Biessenhofen), Robert Heisler (Marktoberdorf)
Primary Examiner: Hau Phan
Assistant Examiner: Jacob Meyer
Application Number: 13/389,035
International Classification: B60K 13/04 (20060101); B60K 11/08 (20060101); F01N 3/20 (20060101);